Our Data Sources

Transparency in how we gather and present crime data for our community.

Primary Data Source

All incident data on Bellingham Scan comes from the official Bellingham Police Department (BPD) public feeds. We use only publicly available dispatch and incident information that the BPD makes accessible to the community.

Official Source Only

We do not use proprietary, private, or third-party data sources. Every incident you see on our site originates directly from official BPD records.

What We Collect

From the public BPD feeds, we gather the following information for each incident:

Date and time of the reported incident
Location (address or block-level information as provided)
Incident category and offense type (e.g., theft, assault, traffic)
Case number (public record identifier)
Neighborhood assignments based on geographic boundaries

What We Do Not Collect

Details beyond what BPD makes publicly available
Sensitive case details that are not part of public records

We do not enhance, embellish, or modify the incident data we receive. The information you see reflects exactly what the Bellingham Police Department has made available to the public.

How We Process Data

Our data processing involves:

Aggregation: Compiling incidents into daily, weekly, and monthly reports
Geographic categorization: Assigning incidents to Bellingham neighborhoods based on location
Statistical analysis: Calculating trends, comparisons, and patterns over time
Visualization: Creating heatmaps and charts to help residents understand activity patterns

Important: We never modify the underlying source data. Case numbers, dates, locations, and offense types are presented exactly as received from BPD.

Data Freshness

Daily reports are published each morning
Data typically reflects activity from the previous day
Updates are dependent on BPD's publication schedule
Weekly and monthly reports are generated after their periods conclude

Accuracy and Limitations

Important Disclaimers

We rely on the accuracy of data provided by the Bellingham Police Department
For official records or verification, please contact BPD directly
Incident classifications and details may be updated by BPD after initial reporting
Our reports are for informational purposes only and should not be used as official documentation
For emergencies, always call 911

Questions?

If you have questions about our data sources or how we process information, please contact us at contact@bellinghamscan.com.